Little Falls transcript., 1887-02-25
HUSBAND AND LOVER.

| 'on yof'I AOSC my MOIner, OUT Cne
poignancy OF my childish grief was in
some measure alleviated when six
months later my father brought me
a little playmate OF my own age. She
was his ward, and we grew from child
hood to girlhood beneath the same
roof, and for my part I can say I
loved Natalie Chester as sister.
| How beautiful she was. in the first
flush of her peerless womanhood.
II wonder will he be her latest con-
quest?" 1 asked myself, when for the
| first time Llndon Stafford and she
stood face to face. He was my faith
er's young assistant, and perhaps the
only man she ever met who, pan
oplied in the armor of cold indiffer-
ence, seemed insensi5le to her charms.
And l know this Indifference piqued a
vanity the hattery OF many tongues
tanned into passion.
| "Does it not occur to you, MYRTLE"
she said TO me one afternoon, "that
our Young doctor is a man of singu-
larly phlegmatic temperament"
| che has never made love to you,
Natalie" I answered dry ly. "Yet it
ought to be q novel sensation to
meet man who does not fall in love
and worship you."
He cheeks flushed slightly, but she
retorted with a laugh: "Would it
not be q more novel sensation still to
constrain him into idolatry, They
say that natures the least demonsta-
tive are capable of the strongest feel.
ings and that the spark once applied
to the latent fire you are treated to a
contlagration."
She spoke lightly, but the glance
that flashed from the dusky beauty OF
her eyes convinced me that if all the
| devices OF fascinating woman did
not fail her she would bring Lindon
Stafford to her feet /, who watched
Mr.. Stafford keenly, saw that he was
struggling with q passion that he
felt would only bring him unhappi-
ness. But the hour had come
when strong mems souls would be
tried in the crucible of q great
aff1iction. and Lindon Stafford, stand
ing face to face with uncompromising
necessity, dare no longer fritter away
existence in a dream of love. The
terrible scourge OF yellow fever had
spept over Memphis. and within a.
week it presented all the appearance of
g. city of the dead. In their abiect
terror the people fled they cared not
! whittier, and fear for the time being
! crushed all the nobler instincts OF
humanity from hearts where craven
seltishness predominated. My fathers
first thought was for Natalie's safety
| and mine, and to this end he telegraph
ed to Miss Chester's other guardian
who was then resident in northern
state. n due time that gentleman
arrived to carry his beautiful ward
and me far from the reach of the i'm
pending danger, but no remonstrance,
no entreaty, could induce me to de-
sert what conceived to be my post
OF duty. Shall ever forget that night
when Natalie left us. Before biddi ing
her goodby had hurried upstairs
for parcel she had forgotten, and in
returning in a, minute or so to find
DR.. Stafford in the room, I paused
outside the door,
'Intended to say FAREWELL" she said
as, with downcast eyes, she held out
her hand.
"You must think me very cowardly
to flee from danger while NJ yrtle insists
on remaining"
''Miss Craig's place is by her fathers
"a
worse than madness in your friends
to allow you to incur risks that could
bring no possible good to any one.
And then you are to young and beau
tiful to die"
And if this parting should be for
ever what would you say to me, Mr..
Stahord?'
II would say farewell-only fare
WE'LL" he replied, evasively, as he re.
leased her hand. Her eyes looked in
to his, and a cry escaped him as he
caught her in his arms, and If a mans
love ever went out to a woman it was
in that lingering kiss he pressed upon
her lips. / turned away, and, with
trembling limbs and sinking heart,
stole quietly upstairs. For I had
~
hopelessness that intensified passion
which had changedthe current OF my life
into channel whose source was bitter
ness and sorrow. l am not going to lin
ger over the days that followed when,
as all hospital nurse, I tried to forget
my folly. Within two weeks the sum-
mons came to the only one that loved
me, and was an orphan. DR.. Stat
ford was also stricken down, and
nursed him through his illness to re-
covery, and when the scourge at length
had passed away, I found myself
alone and almost friendless in the
world. One day Lindon Stafford,
while still pale and emaciated, came
to me aud asked me to be his wife. I
knew too well he did not love me.
knew his every thought was with the
beautiful Natalie in her northern
home; but, oh, my God! I could not
let him leave me, and in the blind fatal
ism OF woman's love cheated my
self into the beliefthat in time would
win his heart. And so we were mar
ried, and the bridal kiss he gave me,
in it's coldness. chilled my lips and
heart. But / did not marry him to in
duige in vain regrets, and Lindon Staf-
ford was too loyal gentleman, too
sensitiveto truth and honor, to be
other than the kindest husband. The
first year of my welded life was draw
to a close, when one morning I re-
ceived g. letter from Natalie. She was
coming south with her guardian ior
the winter and would spend g. day or
two with US, she wrote. She heremained
q week with us--for me 8 week OF tor
ture, for, as said, my husband lin
gered often by her side. l fear the
smoldering fire of an unforgotten love
had burned into fame again within
hie hroast